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Battle of Natural Bridge
|result =Confederate victory |combatant1 = United States (Union) |combatant2 = CSA (Confederacy) |commander1 =John Newton |commander2 =Sam Jones William Miller |strength1 =2nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry |strength2 =Kilcrease Artillery; Dunham’s Battery; Abell's Battery; 5th Florida Cavalry; 1st Florida Militia; Barwick’s Company Reserves; Hodges Company Reserves; Company A, Milton Light Artillery; Companies A, B, and F, Reserves and reinforcements from Georgia amounting to approx. 1,000 men |casualties1 =148 total 21 killed 89 wounded 38 captured |casualties2 =26 total 3 killed 23 wounded |campaignbox = }} The Battle of Natural Bridge was a battle during the American Civil War, fought in what is now Woodville, Florida, near Tallahassee, on March 6, 1865. A small band of Confederate troops and volunteers, mostly composed of teenagers from the nearby Florida Military and Collegiate Institute that would later become Florida State University, and the elderly, protected by breastworks, prevented Union forces (consisting of African-American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops) from crossing the Natural Bridge on the St. Marks River. This action prevented the Union from capturing the Florida capital and made Tallahassee the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not to be captured by Union forces during the war. Battle The Union's Brig. Gen. John Newton had undertaken a joint force expedition to engage and destroy Confederate troops that had attacked at Cedar Keys, Florida and Fort Myers and were allegedly encamped somewhere around St. Marks. The Union Navy had trouble getting its ships up the St. Marks River. The Army force, however, had advanced and, after finding one bridge destroyed, started before dawn on March 6 to attempt to cross the river at Natural Bridge. The troops initially pushed Rebel forces back, but not away from the bridge. Confederate forces under Brig. Gen. William Miller, protected by breastworks, guarded all of the approaches and the bridge itself. The action at Natural Bridge lasted most of the day, but, unable to take the bridge in three separate charges, the Union troops retreated to the protection of the fleet. To this day the cadets of the Florida State University are 1 of 4 Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs to have a battle streamer for their actions in the Civil War.The other three programs are: the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for the Battle of New Market, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina| for the defense of Charleston and other engagements, and The University of Mississippi for the defense of Vicksburg. Monument The site of the battle is now Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site, a Florida State Park, and contains a monument with the inscription: Annual Memorial Service and Battle Reenactment A ceremony honoring the combatants on both sides of the Battle of Natural Bridge, followed by a reenactment of the battle featuring authentically-costumed Confederate and Union military and civilian reenactors, is held at the park the first weekend of March every year. The event is free and open to the public.State of Florida official website for Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park http://www.floridastateparks.org/naturalbridge/default.cfm The site is now called Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park. See also *Military history of African Americans in the U.S. Civil War *United States Colored Troops *Historical reenactment *List of Florida state parks *List of Registered Historic Places in Leon County, Florida Notes External links *Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park - Florida State Parks *Photos of the annual Battle of Natural Bridge reenactment *Natural Bridge Historical Society *Union Account by Captain Thos. Chatfield References Natural Bridge Natural Bridge Category:Florida in the American Civil War Category:History of Leon County, Florida Category:Conflicts in 1865 Category:1865 in Florida